The present invention relates to a system for filling a beverage dispenser, and more particularly to an automatic batch fill system for a beverage dispenser for use with a single or dual beverage dispenser.
Equipment for dispensing beverage products such as margaritas, daiquiris, frozen lemonade, and frozen or semi-frozen fruit juices are well known in the prior art. Such devices vary from simple hand crank units used to make homemade ice cream to high capacity, high output cocktail freezers used by commercial establishments. Typically, these prior art beverage dispensers include a mixing cylinder having a beater bar mounted within the mixing cylinder. The beater bar is connected to a drive motor which rotates the beater bar within the mixing cylinder. A beverage retaining tank or hopper connected to the mixing cylinder holds the beverage mix or ingredients and delivers the beverage mix to the mixing cylinder through an opening or passageway connecting the retaining tank to the mixing cylinder.
The retaining tank must be periodically filled with new beverage ingredients when the beverage level in the retaining tank reaches a predetermined lower limit. The beverage ingredients are typically mixed with water at a specified ratio to form the beverage mixture. For example, a fruit juice beverage may be one part concentrated fruit juice and four parts water. Maintaining the proper ratio of fruit juice concentrate to water is critical to maintaining the consistency of the beverage from one batch to the next. While consistency of output of the beverage dispenser is very desireable, it is difficult to accomplish. Manual mixing of the beverage ingredients is subject to variation of the specified ratio between juice concentrate and water depending on the care taken to properly measure the beverage ingredients prior to mixing. A need, therefore, exists for a system which automatically fills a beverage dispenser and maintains the proper ratio of beverage ingredients between batches to deliver a consistent product.
The automatic batch fill system of the invention incorporates a sensor system for monitoring the beverage level in the dispenser. The sensors are wired in series with a level control board, product out hose sensing point, chassis ground and a level control board mounted inside the frame of the beverage dispenser. The system of the invention includes sensing points connected in an electrical circuit for maintaining the proper water to beverage concentrate ratio in the mixing hopper of the beverage dispenser. Resistance in the circuit is monitored so that when the resistance in the circuit reaches a predetermined value, a relay and solenoid open to divert water to the mixing hopper for mixing with the beverage concentrate. Sensors in the hopper shut off the dispenser when the beverage level in the hopper exceeds maximum and minimum levels.